The State of the Milk River Project A Conversation With Montana Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney
John Crotty: What are your thoughts on your recent tour of the Milk River Project? Lieutenant Governor Cooney: It really reinforced the importance of that project and the effect that it has on the Hi-Line area of Montana. The water from the Milk River Project is vital for municipalities surrounding the area as well as agriculture and even recreational users. The system works amazingly well given that it is over 100 years old. The canal system has been the backbone of the entire region. Despite its successes, however, we have done a poor
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Montana Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney.
”The Milk River Project is a prime example of the high-quality infrastructure American ingenuity can produce but also of the consequences that come from lack of maintenance or modernization of that infrastructure.”
—MIKE COONEY
job of maintaining and modernizing the project since it was built. There must be a focus on taking the steps needed to upgrade the system and ensure its long-term future. John Crotty: What did you see during the tour that speaks to those issues? Lieutenant Governor Cooney: At its core, the project is a canal system that runs well but has many components that require constant upkeep. Issues like leakage, seepage, and evaporation all keep the Milk River Project from being as efficient as it could be. If the system and its management were modernized, we could make much better use of the limited water resources the canal provides. For example, the practice of allowing cattle to stand in the canal jams up the system, adds more steps to making the water suitable for irrigation or human consumption, and accelerates the deterioration of many of the system’s components. The Milk River Project is a prime example of the high-quality infrastructure American ingenuity can produce but also of IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BUREAU OF RECLAMATION AND MONTANA.GOV.
Comparable irrigation projects on two sides of an international border can provide a study in contrasts. Examining the different programs, infrastructure, and policies of each government can provide insight into how to make optimal use of the resource in question. Montana’s Milk River Project and the St. Mary River Irrigation District in Alberta, Canada, are emblematic of this dichotomy. The century-old Milk River Project originates in northern Montana, traverses southern Alberta, Canada, and then heads back into Montana, serving the Hi-Line communities along the northern border of the state. The St. Mary River Irrigation District diverts from three rivers in south-central Alberta and traverses the Canadian prairie east to Saskatchewan. Both projects irrigate thousands of acres across hundreds of miles of arid high plains. However, differing infrastructure investments over the years have led to significant differences in efficiencies and management for the respective projects. This past August, the St. Mary Rehabilitation Working Group sponsored a tour of the projects for Montanans interested in improving project infrastructure. Montana Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney recently toured the St. Mary Diversion on the Milk River Project and the St. Mary River Irrigation District and came away with lessons for how the project in his state can modernize. Lieutenant Governor Cooney sat down with Irrigation Leader’s senior writer, John Crotty, to discuss the challenges facing the Milk River Project, the different approaches to water management in the United States and in Canada, and the upgrades that must happen for the project to continue to meet the water needs of its users in the future.
